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Tony Ferguson says Khabib Nurmagomedov being ‘copycat’ asking for Georges St-Pierre fight
CHICAGO – Tony Ferguson apparently has something of an issue with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s pursuit of a fight with retired former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre.
Nurmagomedov (27-0 MMA, 11-0 UFC) has shown interest in fighting St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC) for quite some time. “GSP” wanted the same, and actually walked away from the sport when he came to terms with the fact the UFC wasn’t willing to book the contest. The current UFC lightweight titleholder Nurmagomedov hasn’t given up, though, because he reportedly just signed a new UFC contract that includes specific language about a showdown with the French-Canadian.
Ferguson (24-3 MMA, 14-1 UFC) seems to take amusement from the whole situation, especially because he claims to have been calling for the St-Pierre fight for years.
“I was wearing three-piece suits and sunglasses on ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’” Ferguson told MMA Junkie during a media scrum at UFC 238 open workouts. “When I came out of the ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ I started seeing other fighters do that like Georges St-Pierre started jacking my style and other fighters started wearing their sunglasses inside and doing all the same things. Before they were doing like Team Khabib and saying they want to fight Georges St-Pierre, I was saying that in my interviews already. Literally, copycat is the one form of flattery. They keep flattering me and I’m just going to keep sitting here.”
With the three names involved, the most likely scenario would appear to be Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov. They’ve been booked to fight four times before, but it has fallen apart at every turn.
It could be on the horizon again sooner than later, though, because Ferguson is set to fight Donald Cerrone (36-11 MMA, 23-8 UFC) on Saturday at UFC 238 in what could be a title eliminator at 155 pounds. Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, puts his belt on the line against Dustin Poirier (25-5 MMA, 17-4 UFC) at UFC 242. If they both win, the stars could align for them to finally share the octagon.
UFC 238 takes place at United Center in Chicago. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
For more on UFC 238, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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